Charlottesville

Much has been written and said about the white supremacist rally at Charlottesville over the weekend. I am a son of the South; my readers and friends know my respect for the Confederate States of America. Thus, I cannot be silent. Not when the supremacists marched under the Stars and Bars, and made a statue of Robert E. Lee the focus of their Saturday rally. Their actions dishonor the flag and the veterans who served under it. This is far from the worst of it, but it is something that should not be forgotten in the turmoil.

Let me be clear. I absolutely denounce white supremacy. And racism. And the hatred and persecution of Jews. Or anyone, for any reason.

Three observations:
- I have no doubt that Mr. Lee would be angrier than I am, and would disassociate himself from these people. In the months and years after the war, whenever someone would stoke the fires of hatred against the north, he would rebuke them, often heatedly. “We are all Americans now,” he said. I am certain that he would do the same today.
- There were racists among the Confederate soldiers, and more so among the politicians. But I think that the best of them would join Mr. Lee in denouncing the actions of the supremacists in Charlottesville and elsewhere.
- This is the work of our Adversary. Hate and fear are his strongest weapons. But he that is with us is greater than he that is in the world.

After last fall’s election, I wrote:

I suspect that the United States will be a darker, more divided, and more dangerous place in three or four years, most of all for people who are not of white European descent….

I think the stage is set for a genuinely progressive candidate to run against President Trump. By 2020, we will have a good idea what a Trump presidency is like, complete with Republican control of House and Senate and probably the Supreme Court. And I think a great many people by then will be ready for some genuine change.

The trouble is, there are more directions for change than one. The stage may also be set for a more effective candidate from the far right, perhaps a charismatic Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran with a fondness for armbands and torchlight parades. Mr. Trump’s campaign provided a model for how such a person could win an election in the United States. I suspect there are young adults who have been paying attention.

It has only been a few months, and we already have the torchlight parades. God help us.

[Added on Tuesday, August 15, the Assumption of the B.V.M.
I have a large photograph of Mr. Lee in my office. Like the pictures of J. S. Bach and others on the inside of my door, the icon of the Mother of God, the holy cards that lean up against my computer monitor to remind me of the saints, the photo of Mr. Lee is for me an icon, a window into the divine space where he lived his life as a faithful Episcopal layman. He reminds me to be gentle and forbearing with others, to treat everyone with respect, to act as a Christian gentleman no matter what defeats and failures may come, to react with patience and a calm spirit when others are angry. He teaches me to humbly commit all of my intelligence and ability to the tasks that lie before me, and to commit the results to Divine Providence.

I need these lessons now more than ever.

But I have removed his photograph and put it into a manila file. My office is too public and I do not want to provoke trouble. Upon reflection, I concluded that this is what he would do, given the circumstances. Mr. Lee does not need our monuments; he is at rest with the saints in glory.]